30 Issues in 30 Days: NYS Transit

Stephen Nessen (0:10)

It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Stephen Nesson, the Transit Reporter in the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, sitting in for Brian today.

We are in our 30 issues in 30 days election series. Let other media focus only on the polls and personalities. We are choosing an issue a day for 30 straight days, for 30 straight shows, to help you be as informed a voter as you can be in our local swing congressional districts and New York State governor's race. We're up to issue 14, one near and dear to my heart, transportation.

Governor Kathy Hochul has been in lockstep with the MTA when it comes to mega projects, congestion pricing, and moving forward with the IBX, the light rail that will run between Brooklyn and Queens. Her opponent, Bruce Blakeman, has said he'd end congestion pricing on day one, and he'd likely replace the head of the MTA, Jan O'Lieber, who's been a major Hochul ally.

Speaking of Lieber, he's been accused of holding up the redevelopment of Penn Station. That's a federal project now. Amtrak is in charge, and President Trump is motivated to get it done, and get it done quick. But the project has stalled, in part because Amtrak says the MTA is not cooperating. If Democrats flip the House, and maybe the Senate, some say it could be very good for the Penn Station project. Joining me to unpack what the midterms could mean for Penn is Layla Law-Gisiko. She's the president of the City Club of New York, and has been following the Penn Station issue for many years. Welcome, Layla.

Layla Law-Gisiko (1:34)

Thank you so much for having me.

Stephen Nessen (1:36)

Glad to have you. For listeners that don't know, can you just explain real quick, what is the City Club of New York? What is the organization's role in civic life?

Layla Law-Gisiko (1:44)

Yes, we are a civic organization, one of the oldest, founded in 1892, way before our time, and studied as a good government group, and has evolved over the years as a urbanist civic organization with still a big, big focus on transparency and good governance.

Stephen Nessen (2:05)

I read online that perhaps the City Club is responsible for the creation of the Port Authority. Is that true?

Layla Law-Gisiko (2:11)

Indeed. We've been involved and responsible for a number of things. Actually, congestion pricing stemmed from a 1973 City Club report that was actually presented to Congress. It took that long for other organizations to take over and to make it a reality. But yes, we've dabbled in a number of things.

Stephen Nessen (2:32)

Amazing. Well, let's catch listeners up on the recent iteration of the Penn Station project. President Trump took the project over from the MTA in April 2025

The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, wrote in a letter that, quote, President Trump has made it clear the days of reckless spending and blank checks are over.

He went on to say, New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America's greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA's history of inefficiency, waste and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we're ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub. All Americans can take pride in. That was from over a year ago. Layla, you follow this project closely when Governor Cuomo was leading it and then Hochul. What did you think when you heard that the feds were taking it over and was that welcome news?

Layla Law-Gisiko (3:22)

You know, listen, we all have to remember that the station itself, the real estate, is owned by Amtrak. And Amtrak is a federal corporation, all right? So the federal government always was going to play a role. They own the station, they own the track, and a project of this magnitude needs to be funded with federal dollars. So the idea that something drastic has happened is actually not really accurate. Then, you know, political partners are going to want to take the credit. I get it, but, you know, in the end, we really need to focus on the operation of Penn Station and we need to focus on the broader region. We need to make Penn Station effective for the entire Northeast region. It's an economic imperative that it happens.

So, you know, do we see this development as a welcome development? You know, in the end, we have, we need proper leadership, we need proper governance so that we can move a project forward.

Stephen Nessen (4:30)

And whether it's Trump administration leading it or the MTA leading it, you just want to see it done. Yeah.

Layla Law-Gisiko (4:36)